


dulcis temptationem

by whippedt_cream



Category: NINE PERCENT (Band), 偶像练习生 | Idol Producer (TV)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - College/University, Anal Sex, M/M, NSFW Art, Office Sex, Oral Sex, Power Imbalance, Religious Imagery & Symbolism, Teacher-Student Relationship, just...lots of porn tbh, ziyi is 35 here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-04
Updated: 2019-02-04
Packaged: 2019-10-22 11:13:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17661491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whippedt_cream/pseuds/whippedt_cream
Summary: What would you do if the guy you had a one night stand with turns out to be your new professor at university?





	dulcis temptationem

**Author's Note:**

> i bet you thought you'd seen the last of me xo
> 
> i'm not gonna lie, this is just... a projection of a lot of thoughts and feelings, even though most of it is just nsfw content. 
> 
> on a more serious note: this is about a sexual relationship between a university student and a professor. you could say there's a natural power imbalance between the characters, even though both of them are consenting adults. keep that in mind in case that sort of moral dilemma makes you uncomfortable. 
> 
> serious note over, hope y'all nasty bitches enjoy!

An ensemble of musicians was playing Smetana's "Má Vlast", a pleasant type of background music, making having a conversation without having to shout possible. Just as the second symphonic poem – Vltava – started, Xukun grabbed his first glass of champagne of the night.

He wasn't exactly sure what he was doing here, in this huge banquet hall which was adorned with countless white roses and some greens, among these people who were all dressed in expensive suits and dresses. The fancy atmosphere made him feel out of place, considering he was wearing a cheap suit he had bought two years ago when he graduated from high school.

Xukun had come here to emotionally support his friend, Zhangjing, who was celebrating the opening of his first exhibition, along with some other artists who were steadily gaining more recognition. The problem was that Zhangjing was nowhere to be seen. They had arrived together, but then Xukun's friend had gotten busy speaking with his friends, colleagues, possible business partners. 

That was understandable, really, but Xukun felt bored and he had to wait for Zhangjing, because he was the one with a car and Xukun didn't want to waste his money on a taxi.

The other reason why he was here was to get some sort of distraction, to take his mind off things. Well, that hadn't really worked until now. Xukun sighed.

After he had downed the rest of the champagne, he put the glass aside and walked towards the back exit, in need of some fresh air. The champagne had started getting to his head, which, after only two glasses, was a bit ridiculous in Xukun's opinion, so he thought the crisp air of the night would help.

The small garden he reached after pushing through the crowd of people was small yet beautiful. Xukun definitely preferred the tranquil atmosphere of the dimly lit garden over the music and all the talking people he probably didn't have much in common with.

He sat down on the marbel bench in front of the small lake in the garden. The stone was cold, but he didn't really mind, just sat there, letting his mind wander. It came as no surprise that Xukun kind of had a mini heart attack when suddenly someone sat down next to him. The stranger only gave him a shy, apologetic smile, then leaned back against the bench and closed his eyes as he inhaled the fresh air.

Xukun didn't mean to stare, but his gaze lingered on the stranger. He wasn't going to lie, he was handsome and maybe that's why he couldn't help but look. The unknown man had long-ish, braided hair and the sides of his head were shaved. It looked cool, Xukun thought. 

"So, I take it this is also not your crowd of people?" Xukun said after a while.

The man turned to him, eyes opening. "Well, I'm really only here for the art. Mostly. Actually, I came here with a friend."

Xukun smiled. "Did you get ditched?"

"We kind of lost each other," the stranger replied.

"Wow, the same thing happened to me. By the way, I'm Xukun."

The handsome man gave him a smile again and said, "Nice to meet you. I'm Ziyi."

They came to the mutual decision to go inside again because it was just too cold to continue sitting in the garden. They ended up getting some more drinks, but this time Xukun went for wine. As time went by they got considerably more drunk, but it's not like either of them minded. 

Both of them were now having a good time - even though they had been abandonned by their friends - partaking in a passionate conversation about visual arts and afterwards books. 

Xukun noticed that Ziyi's shyness disappeared a little bit more with each laugh they shared together; he also noticed that the other man was adorably red in his face, if from the warmth or from the alcohol, he couldn't tell, but he definitely could say that he appreciated that he now could see Ziyi's face clearly beneath all those festive lights.

Xukun really couldn't help it, the wine was probably clouding his judgement - which, frankly, was just an excuse because he knew that "in vino veritas" was a saying that was perfectly true when it came to him - as he leaned closer to Ziyi, not noticing how the color of his cheeks turned a shade deeper, this time for an entirely different, obvious reason. 

An emotional, gloomy melody, completely unfitting for this scenario, started filling the banquet hall. Paul de Senneville's Mariage d'Amour", often mistakenly credited to Chopin, his drunk mind suggested helpfully, before he blurted out, "Do you perhaps have a girlfriend, Ziyi?"

Quietly, the man asked, "What if I said yes?"

Giggling, Xukun replied, "Is that your answer?" He was now standing so close to the slightly taller man that he was breathing on his neck. Fascinatedly, he watched as Ziyi shivered ever so slightly, leaning in, craving more.

"Thank God I'm single," Ziyi said, making the corners of Xukun's mouth turn upwards again, but he suppressed a laugh in favor of brushing his lips against Ziyi's. It was the lightest touch and Xukun waited for a reaction from the man. He saw the way Ziyi licked his lips, the way his eyes were glued to Xukun's mouth, as if he was hungry and they were the sweetest temptation. 

The reluctant hand on Xukun's lower back didn't go unnoticed. It made Xukun feel reassured as he pressed his lips to the other man's again. Ziyi kissed him back, reluctance soon turning into enthusiasm, shyness thrown overboard. 

They kissed for a long time, how long exactly they didn't know, didn't care about either. All Xukun knew was that "Mariage d'Amour" was long over and he wanted this man in more than this innocent way, preferrably right about now. Just one night, the perfect distraction. He was about to say something when Ziyi opened his mouth to speak first. "Do you want to get out of here?"

Xukun nodded, but then he dumbly said, "Taking a taxi is expensive, though."

At that, Ziyi started laughing cutely. "Don't worry, I don't live that far from here. It's like a ten minute walk if you don't mind that."

Obviously he hadn't minded, considering that they arrived at Ziyi's flat a while later. It took them longer than the predicted ten minutes, but that probably had to do with how many times they stopped walking in order to make out in the shadows of the night. Now they were at Ziyi's apartment, finally, Xukun thought, because he was starting to feel pretty cold.

It didn't stay cold for long, though. How could it, when Ziyi and Xukun were kissing like their lives depended on it, gripping each other's clothes roughly, needily, and pulling on them. Xukun had a hand in Ziyi's previously perfectly styled hair, messing up the carefully arranged strands, and Ziyi was feeling daring, palming Xukun's half hard dick through his slacks. The contact felt good, so he rubbed himself against Ziyi's hand unashamedly, looking for more friction.

Ziyi was overwhelmed with want when he realized just how into it Xukun was. He couldn't help it, he was impatient so he broke their passionate, heated kiss to say, "Bedroom."

Xukun nodded, slipping out of the dazed cloud of passion he was in long enough to follow the taller man into his bedroom where they took off their stiff suit jackets and ties, carelessly throwing them aside before they continued kissing. This time Xukun was more aware of the way their lips fit together, the small noise Ziyi made as Xukun's tongue brushed against his, so hot and slick. The contact made the fine hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

It honestly took Xukun a whole lot of self control to not just rip Ziyi's shirt open. He fumbled with the buttons, hands too impatient to do this efficiently, but eventually he was able to touch bare skin, the feeling of tight muscle under the palms of his hands a pleasant surprise. He spent some time tracing the man's abs, hands wandering over his broad chest, pausing to play with a nipple that immediately hardened.

Maybe Xukun had squeezed it a bit too tightly or Ziyi was just very sensitive. Either way, the moan he released against Xukun's lips was pretty.

They broke their kiss in order to catch their breaths. "How do you wanna do this," Xukun asked, hand going through Ziyi's luscious strands of hair again, enjoying the silky feeling.

Ziyi looked at him, seemingly confused for a second, before he snapped out of it and replied, "I was hoping that you'd fuck me."

"And I was hoping you'd say that," Xukun said against Ziyi's neck, feeling the other man shiver like someone who was getting out of a pool on a breezy summer day. He decided that this was the right moment to press open mouthed kisses to it, letting his teeth graze the soft skin. Ziyi dug his fingers into Xukun's hair and pressed him closer, keeping his head in place; Xukun got the hint and started sucking on Ziyi's neck playfully, occasionally gnawing on the spot which soon turned a pretty redish, purplish shade. The shape and the color of it were reminiscent of a plum.

He then proceeded to push the shirt off Ziyi's shoulders and, wow, did that man have arms. Had Xukun been into that, he'd ask him to choke him. "You're so hot," he said instead before leaning in to kiss Ziyi again. He felt Ziyi's hands going to unbutton his shirt as well, breaking the kiss to say, "You're not so bad yourself."

Xukun breathed out a short laugh, which turned to a whimper when Ziyi dropped to his knees and started mouthing at the outline of Xukun's erection. The moist heat and the friction turned him on to no end. Ziyi opened the button of his pants, unzipped them and did the same thing through Xukun's underwear. He looked up from underneath his long lashes. Fuck, Xukun thought. He was going to lose his mind.

He cupped Ziyi's cheek and looked at him. The air between them was static as they looked at each other with nothing but pure want. "Come, get up," Xukun said softly. He pulled Ziyi in for another breathtaking kiss.

Ziyi said, "I want you now. Please."

"If a cutie like you asks so nicely I can't say no."

They quickly got rid of the rest of their clothes and fell onto Ziyi's bed, limbs tangled like long hair after a good night's sleep. "Where do you-" Xukun couldn't even finish his sentence, because Ziyi cut him off by replying, "Bedside table."

Xukun smiled at his eagerness, opened the drawer and found a case for glasses, a chapstick, hand cream, various hair ties, some other random stuff and finally, a tube of lube and some condoms.

The taller of the two was quick to get on his fours, giving Xukun better access to stretch him open. By the time Xukun was three fingers in Ziyi was already a mess, face flushed from pleasure, breaths coming out short and needy. "Please," he muttered against the pillow, no need to express his needs using more words than that.

Ziyi looked obscenely beautiful as he pushed himself back against Xukun's fingers. Honestly, he couldn't wait either, but safety came before either of them would, so he carefully put on the condom and spread a considerate amount of lubricant on his erection before lining himself up.

"Ready?" Xukun asked, voice sounding rougher than usual.

"Please," Ziyi said again, voice sounding broken, as he felt the tip of Xukun's cock press against his rim. Without a second thought, Xukun pushed his hips forward and watched his erection disappear into the delicious heat the other man had to offer. He could feel Ziyi tense up, if from pleasure or discomfort, or even both, he couldn't tell, but he placed a gentle hand on Ziyi's hip anyway, rubbing over it as if to massage the tension away. He leaned forward and left a trail of kisses on Ziyi's back until he felt the man was considerably more relaxed.

Starting with slow, shallow thrusts, Xukun teasingly said, "You're welcome." Ziyi felt like laughing. The sound that came out of his mouth was a cross between a laugh and a moan. It was the sound of a wrecked man.

Ziyi felt incredible, stretched around him tightly, wrapping him up in warmth. Xukun felt as if he was in heaven, enjoying neverending sunshine and beauty in the Garden of Eden, tasting all the sweet fruits he longed for. Ziyi's moans sounded like singing angels. 

He had been going slow, but soon lost his grip on his self-control. He was a simple man and there was only so much he could take. When his thrusts got harder, Ziyi slid forward onto his elbows, hands grabbing the sheets beneath him tightly and spread his legs wider, back arching prettily, begging for deeper penetration through body language.

Who was Xukun to deny him that? Ziyi started moving as well, pushing himself back in time with Xukun's thrusts, much like he had previously done with his fingers. Xukun's hands on his hips pulled him back roughly, leaving bruises like blooming violets on flawless skin, flowers opening in spring, discovering deeper places within the garden that was Ziyi.

Both of them were breathing shakily, moaning occasionally, completely immersed in pleasure. "Feel good?" Xukun asked, out of breath. He was positive the man was enjoying this as much as him, but he wanted to hear him say it out loud nonetheless.

"Fuck, yeah. You?" Ziyi managed to reply, voice almost breaking with how he has a hand wrapped around his leaking dick, beating off to Xukun's rhythm, struggling to hold himself up. 

Xukun ran his fingers through Ziyi's damp hair, softly, then let his hand trail over his neck, shoulders, back. "Yes," he gasped, "God, you feel... Amazing." He had noticed the other's arms straining as he tried to hold himself up, so Xukun took matters (read: Ziyi's dick) into his own hands, jerking the man off rapidly as his thrusts became less rhythmic.

With double the stimulation, it was no surprise that Ziyi was the first to reach the peak of his pleasure, loud moan very much audible over the sounds of skin slapping against skin. Honestly, Ziyi was glad Xukun followed soon after lest he was starting to feel overstimulated.

After both of them were done riding out their highs, Xukun pulled out, momentarily enjoying the sight of Ziyi's asshole clenching on nothing before peeling the gross condom off.

"Where should I," he started, not really finishing the sentence, but it's not like that was necessary because Ziyi pointed in the general direction of a door, uttering the word "bathroom" into the pillow. He was laying there, boneless, painting a picture of ultimate relaxation.

Xukun got up and walked to the bathroom, finding a trashcan under the sink. He then proceeded to walk back to where Ziyi was still chilling, tugging on the man's arm. "Let's shower, we're gross."

Even though Xukun heard Ziyi grumble something intelligible into the pillow, he got up and they ended up in Ziyi's walk-in shower. Safe to say they got each other off again while they were in there.

*

On the next day Xukun returned to the flat he shared with Zhangjing, in desperate need for some strong coffee since the black tea Ziyi had offered him in the morning hadn't really done anything to make the exhaustion disappear from his bones. Xukun rolled his eyes at himself; he was twenty, not eighty, so he had to stop thinking like a grandpa.

Fortunately, his morning with Ziyi hadn't been bad. Xukun didn't usually do one night stands, so he hoped the awkwardness that automatically came with interacting with a stranger wouldn't be too intense, but with Ziyi the chemistry was right, there hadn't been a single awkward moment. 

Also, they might or might not have used the kitchen table for something other than breakfast. The memory of the beautiful man writhing underneath him, trembling from pleasure, made his breath come out shaky.

Xukun was pretty sure he was slightly red in the face as he unlocked the front door, stepping into the warm flat. He left his shoes at the entrance, taking off his jacket on his way to the living room where he suspected his best friend to be.

"Zhangjing, you'll never guess... Woah." Xukun stopped in his tracks, dumbly staring at Zhangjing's long-term boyfriend Yanjun, who was currently laying on their couch, in a draw-me-like-one-of-your-French-girls pose. That wasn't the shocking part though, the shocking part was that he was completely naked, apart from his glasses - if you could even count those. 

Yanjun gave him a stoic look, muttering a "Hey" as greeting, before staring off into the distance, seemingly lost in his own thoughts, again. What did people think about when they were being painted? Xukun wondered for a second. There must be a lot of things.

"Hey, Xukun! How was your night, did you meet someone nice? You were gone so suddenly," Zhangjing chirped happily as he continued painting his boyfriend, eyes going back and forth between the canvas and Yanjun.

Xukun hesitated before giving a reply, completely ignoring his friend's previous questions. "Uh, Zhangjing. I know that Yanjun is your muse and everything, but this is honestly a little bit weird."

Yanjun looked at him again. "But you've seen Zhangjing's paintings. Is there such a big difference?" Xukun thought about it. Probably not, but that didn't make it any less weird, however, he decided to ignore it for now in order to focus on more important matters. "I'm gonna get some coffee," he said, turning to walk towards their kitchen.

"Can you also bring me a cup?" Yanjun requested. Unbelievable, he thought, as he waited for the coffee machine to be done.

Once he returned with two cups of steaming coffee, he gave one to Yanjun, who thanked him with a huge smile and sipped on it. "The coffee's perfect," he said as Xukun sat down on the floor next to the couch, crossing his legs.

"Thanks." He also drank some, sighing. "That's what I needed after that weak ass tea I had in the morning."

That immediately got Zhangjing and Yanjun's attention, both of them turning their heads to look at him. "So," Zhangjing started, "You never told us where you stayed tonight."

"Yeah, the gala yesterday was a little bit lame - no offence - because I didn't really know anyone. So, I'm sitting in the garden, chilling, minding my own business, and this really good looking guy sits down next to me. We go inside, flirt and well, one thing leads to another and we end up at his place." He made a dramatic break before he added, "We had a lot of sex. It was mind-blowing."

Yanjun snorted and Zhangjing started laughing loudly. "Good thing you didn't bring the guy here, then. I need my beauty sleep," Zhangjing said dramatically.

"Funny that you mention that, because from what I remember you didn't let me get a lot of sleep tonight," Yanjun said.

Zhangjing huffed and continued painting. "Well," Xukun said, "I guess it is indeed a good thing I didn't bring him here."

All of them laughed.

*

Fuck, fuck, fuck. Xukun was late, he had missed his bus by a couple seconds and had to wait another fifteen minutes for the next one. He was on his way to his first class of the new semester, a class on English literature, and being late wasn't exactly what he had planned. God, what sort of first impression was he going to make on his classmates and his professor?

Xukun sprinted up the stairs, taking two at a time. He was already ten minutes late so when he stopped in front of the right door, he didn't take much of a break in order to catch his breath.

After a knock, he entered the classroom. Seemed as if the professor was currently going over the syllabus, explaining which topics they were going to focus on this semester. All heads turned to where Xukun was standing. Most people in the class looked disinterested, though some looked curious to see who arrived that late.

Then he looked at his professor, was going to assess whether he was angry or not, but what Xukun got instead was the shock of his life. His professor was Ziyi, the man he had met two weeks ago. First of all, why was his professor Ziyi, second of all, what happened to his old professor and last of all, what the fuck?

Ziyi looked just as surprised as Xukun for a second, but then he concealed his expression with a more neutral one. "You can take a seat in the back," he said, voice sounding surprisingly calm.

Xukun knew that he'd be freaking out if he was in Ziyi's shoes, and he also knew that he was already freaking out anyway, so he just nodded, not trusting his voice and went to sit down in the only free seat in the second to last row, between a pretty girl and a guy who gave him a little smile as he sat down.

Honestly, the lesson went by rather quickly. Ziyi was eloquent, made the topic he was speaking about seem interesting, probably even to those who weren't that interested in literature. It was awkward nonetheless, at least for Xukun, since he kept looking at Ziyi as he spoke, memories of their passionate night flashing in his mind.

How was he supposed to stop undressing his professor with his eyes? And the question that was even more important: How was he supposed to survive this semester?

*

When Xukun got home, he was absolutely ready to rant to Zhangjing, but when he passed his friend's room he only heard the sound of a sharp slap and a moan that sounded like it came from Yanjun.

Okay, he definitely didn't want to disturb them or think about what was going on in there, so he went to his room instead and threw himself onto his bed, face down. He needed to think about everything. Or he could do his homework. His English homework, appointed to him by his hot professor who he'd had a one night stand with.

Trust Xukun to get himself into a messy situation like that. Why couldn't he have just kept it in his pants? His life would be easier if he didn't go around fucking hot men he meets at parties. His life would be easier if he was a virgin.

Wait, no. This wasn't going in the right direction. Xukun groaned and rolled onto his back. The ceiling was a pale shade of yellow, just like the rest of his walls. Maybe he should clean his room, there was a small spider web in the corner.

An idea popped up in his mind. What if he dropped the course? But wouldn't that be stupid? Even if he dropped it, maybe Ziyi would also be the professor if he registered for the same course next semester. Putting his education at risk because of something like this wouldn't be smart. Yeah, he had sex with his professor, so what. He mentally rolled his eyes at his internal meltdown. They were grown up people, they should be able to get over it. He would get over it. 

Right?

It was hopeless, pondering this odd turn of events wouldn't benefit him. Xukun decided wrapping himself up in his blanket and taking a nap would be the best solution, even if it was just a temporary one.

When he woke up again, it was to rapid knocking on his door. He grumbled something unintelligible and Zhangjing burst into his room. "Yo, Xukun, why are you sleeping? Are you sick?"

He blinked at his best friend sleepily, mumbling something that sounded like a no. Then, Xukun almost died when Zhangjing flung himself on top of him. "Why are you so grumpy, what happened?"

Xukun cuddled into his best friend's side until a sudden thought crossed his mind, immediately waking him up. "Please tell me you showered or at least washed your hands."

"Don't worry about it, let's cuddle and you tell me what's on your mind," Zhangjing said. Nodding, Xukun accepted his friend's affections and hugged him back, telling him about his incredible discovery at university.

"What should I do?" he asked after finishing his story.

After a while, Zhangjing said, "Well, I think you're making it weird for no reason. I don't think it has to be awkward. Maybe you should talk to him and see how he feels about this situation?"

Xukun nodded. "Yeah, I think I'll do that, actually." After a while, he added, "He looked really hot though."

Zhangjing seemed to think about something again before he said, "You could take a picture of him, secretly. Don't look at me like that, I wanna know what he looks like! Maybe we can find a picture of him on Google, what's his name again?"

Rolling his eyes, Xukun said, "You're hopeless. By the way, where's Yanjun? Did he leave?"

"Nah, he's asleep and he looked so cute, I just couldn't wake him."

"But you woke me up? Don't I look cute when I sleep?" Xukun asked, feeling betrayed.

Zhangjing snorted, "You don't want an honest answer to that."

Fake hurt, Xukun pushed Zhangjing away. "Go paint Yanjun if he looks so cute."

"Wow, that's actually a brilliant idea! You're the best, Kunkun, don't be sad about not being the cutest," Zhangjing exclaimed and pressed a wet kiss to Xukun's cheek.

Rolling his eyes, Xukun replied, "God, why do I even put up with your annoying ass?"

His best friend was already making his way out of the room with a pep in his step, chirping, "You love me."

"Make sure to cover his privates, I don't wanna see another painting of your naked boyfriend again!"

*

After Xukun had found Ziyi's office hours on the university homepage, he decided to go see him. Obviously he was nervous. Who wouldn't be? What should he even say? Hey, I know we had sex, but I really hope this won't affect our student/teacher relationship. Ugh. That sounded awful, even in Xukun's head.

Really, all he had wanted was some fun. How could one night in paradise lead to this sort of mess?

When he arrived at the university building, he took a deep breath before entering. Thinking about all the possible ways that conversation could go wouldn't help him calm his nerves, letting his imagination run wild would just make everything worse. So instead, he focussed on finding the office, which actually wasn't that easy. The English department was huge and he usually never had to look for the professors' offices, just had to go to the lecture halls and classrooms, which, by now he knew how to find.

A couple minutes later, he finally arrived in front of the correct door. The name plate next to it read "Wang Ziyi, PhD" in polished characters. Xukun seriously needed to find out how old Ziyi was. He felt like he was going to puke out his heart from nervousness as he knocked on the door, palms sweaty.

"Come in," Ziyi said, voice as soft as butter. This was really happening.

Xukun stepped inside, feeling more nervous than before giving a presentation or taking an exam. He mumbled a shy greeting, which immediately made Ziyi look up from the papers he was grading.

"Oh," he said, not exactly sounding surprised, "It's you. Take a seat."

Xukun did as he was told, sitting with his back straight and folding his hands, playing with his fingers. For a moment, they sat there, just looking at each other questioningly, until Ziyi broke the awkward silence by asking, "Would you like something to drink? I can make some tea if you want."

That made Xukun relax visibly. Ziyi was kind, he knew that, so he didn't know what he was that nervous for. "No, thanks. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something..."

Ziyi looked at him attentively. "I think I can guess what you want to talk about. As a matter of fact, I expected you to come here sooner or later."

"Yeah, um, about that one night. I hope that won't make things awkward?" Honestly, Xukun had absolutely no idea how to put his worries into sentences, but he was sure the other man would understand, since he guessed he would feel similarly.

Smiling reassuringly, and oh, he looked really attractive when he did that, Ziyi replied, "Don't worry about that. Neither of us knew what we were getting ourselves into. Let's not make it more complicated than it is, alright? Oh, but you should know that I won't grade you any less strictly than the others."

That actually got a little laugh out of Xukun. "That's fine by me."

When Xukun left the office he did so feeling like a huge weight had been taken off his shoulders and when he stepped outside, into the fresh autumn air, he felt like he could breathe a little bit more freely.

*

Later that day, Xukun was at home, sitting at his desk and working on an assignment. Basically, he was minding his own business until Zhangjing burst into his room, screaming, "Xukun!"

If the way Xukun threw his pen aside and jumped in his chair was anything to go by he had almost gotten a heart attack. "For fucks sake, Zhangjing! You should knock, you never know what I could be doing."

Rolling his eyes, Zhangjing said, "At this point I don't think anything could shock me."

That made Xukun sigh. He knew his best friend and that nothing could stop him if he was excited about something, so he decided to drop the issue. "What put you in such a good mood anyway?"

Zhangjing came to him and pulled him out of his chair, not saying anything as he dragged his best friend into the living room, where he had been painting. He stopped in front of his canvas stand and looked at the painting proudly, like a parent would look at their new born baby, as he patiently waited for Xukun's reaction.

Honestly, Xukun's brain kind of stopped working momentarily as he stared at the painting. It showed Yanjun, obviously, because who else would Zhangjing depict in such a private way, on his stomach, face turned to the side, cheek blushed, eyes closed, mouth open, grip on the pillow he was laying on tight. The painting had been made from a bird's perspective and Xukun was glad it stopped at Yanjun's hips, even though anyone who saw it could probably guess what kind of situation it depicted.

"Uh," Xukun said intelligently.

Zhangjing glanced at him. "Is that a good uh or a bad uh?"

"Zhangjing, you know that you're an amazing artist and that you're so good at painting hyper-realistically that it's actually scary, so it's definitely not a bad uh. It is an awkward uh, though."

"Don't be such a prude. What do you think?"

"Well, you can definitely tell the emotions that are there. The love and adoration you feel for him, it's obvious in the way you paint him. The horniness, too, there's no denying that," Xukun said after giving it a thought for a moment.

When he looked at Zhangjing again, the shorter man looked at him with teary eyes. "That's the nicest thing you've ever said about my paintings."

"Doesn't change the fact that I still find it awkward," Xukun deadpanned. He took another look at the picture, looked at the arch of his friend's back and was instantly reminded of his night with Ziyi, how good his professor had looked beneath him.

"Is there a reason you're blushing like crazy and covering your crotch while you're looking at an, admittedly, extremely erotic painting of my boyfriend?"

Ignoring his question, Xukun asked, "Why are you looking at my crotch?"

"Don't ignore my question," Zhangjing whined. Rolling his eyes at his best friend's antics, Xukun sighed and admitted, "It reminds me of... Ziyi."

Zhangjing gasped dramatically. "Your hot prof? Didn't you meet him today?"

"Ugh," Xukun groaned and flopped down onto the couch. Before he could suffocate himself using the pillows though, his best friend pulled him up again. "Is that how your parents raised you? At least reply to me before you try killing yourself!"

Xukun gumbled, "It went really well, he was so nice and not awkward about it."

"Then why are you like this?" his best friend asked, supportive as always.

"You know how you only want the things you can't have?"

"Wow." That admission made even Zhangjing kind of speechless. "So," he said after a short break, "you want to fuck him even now that you know he's your professor?" What an elegant question, Xukun thought and rolled his eyes.

"I guess you could say it like that. It's because he's incredibly attractive. And smart. And nice. Have I mentioned attractive yet?"

Zhangjing snorted, "You sound like you have a crush on him."

Xukun looked at him, bewildered, before he went to dive into the pillows again, hoping for successful suffocation.

*

Every year, right before the winter break started, there was a Christmas party at the institute. In most departments the students and teachers organized a celebration like that. It was nice, just letting loose for one evening, after all the work and time everybody had had to put into their studies and teaching.

Xukun was currently putting some punch, which some students had made, into a plastic cup. He hated those cups, they were so thin that you always burned your fingers when you filled it with steaming liquid. He gave the cup to Zhengting, who was sitting next to him in Ziyi's class and had become something like a friend to Xukun, before he also filled a cup for himself.

"So, do you already have plans for the holidays?" Zhengting asked after thanking him for the drink.

Xukun said, "Not really. I'll stay with my family for Christmas and after that I'll just relax and spend some time with friends. What about you?" The other man gave Xukun a very similar answer and so they continued making some small talk, speaking about whether they already had all the presents they needed, their hobbies, what they were going to do during the two weeks in which they didn't have to worry about any assignments, presentations and tests.

After a while, Xukun noticed that Zhengting seemed a little bit distracted. He kept looking over Xukun's shoulder so naturally the younger man subtly turned his head to find out what was the object, or rather subject, of Zhengting's attention. It was the girl sitting next to Xukun in their shared class. She was speaking to some other girls, even though she also seemed to be a little bit busy looking towards where Zhengting was standing.

"Your crush?" Xukun asked teasingly.

Zhengting sighed, "Is it that obvious?"

Laughing, Xukun replied, "Dude, you're literally looking at her all the time, what do you mean, 'is it obvious'? You know, we could swap seats in class, then you'd sit next to her."

Zhengting's eyes sparkled. "You'd do that?"

"I don't see why that would be a problem."

The other boy smiled and gave Xukun a quick hug, expressing his gratitude, before walking over to the girl, whose name Xukun didn't know, which, what the fuck, they've literally sat next to each other once a week for almost three months and he didn't even know her name yet? Anyway, Zhengting was gone, busy talking to the girls, and Xukun was left alone.

He didn't exactly mind. It's not like he didn't get Zhengting's excitement about getting closer to his crush. Xukun sipped on the punch, almost burned his tongue in the process, but still managed to swallow the liquid. It was a strong mixture, he could tell that, and since he hadn't eaten much before coming here, it would be wise of him to stop drinking that sticky, strong stuff. He put the cup on a nearby table and made his way out of the recreation room, which was where they were celebrating.

After using the bathroom, he considered getting his jacket and leaving, since there wasn't much left to do for him here. However, as he was on his way to retrieve his jacket, he ran into someone after walking around a corner without really looking, and figuring from the way the other person ran in to him, he hadn't been the only one not paying attention to his surroundings.

To his luck, the person he had run into was Ziyi and, what was probably even worse, he had been holding a cup of tea and now its – thankfully – cold contents were spilled all over Xukun's shirt and also on his jeans, kind of making it look like he peed himself. Some papers and folders Ziyi had been carrying were on the ground, only a handful of sheets were still safely tucked between his arm and his chest.

"I'm," Xukun gasped, "So sorry. I didn't mean to, I... I wasn't looking."

Ziyi observed him with worried eyes. "You don't have to apologize, after all I'm not the one who's covered in green tea." Making a face, he added, "Sorry for that, by the way."

Xukun didn't really know what to say, so he bent down and picked up the sheets that had fallen out of Ziyi's grip. "I'll carry this for you?" He hadn't meant for it to come out like a question, but Ziyi gave him a smile and said, "Thank you."

After they had started walking towards Ziyi's office, the older man said, "I have a spare shirt in my office. You can have it." Before Xukun could even started to protest, he added, "It's the least I can do for spilling matcha all over you."

"Okay then, but only if you really don't need that shirt right now."

Laughing, Ziyi replied, "Don't worry, I won't need it today. Actually, I only brought it for situations like this. I can be really clumsy. One day, I spilled tea on myself right before I had to teach a class, but I didn't have another shirt I could have changed into, so I gave the lesson with red stains on my white dress shirt. It was kind of embarrassing."

Xukun giggled at that story. "You must have been really popular, then. Among the students."

Ziyi gave him a pointed look. "Don't remind me. It was like teaching a group of kindergardeners. I remember making my explanations extra difficult in order to get them to concentrate on the important things again."

Xukun smiled. It wasn't exactly hard to imagine Ziyi in that situation.

The piece of clothing his professor fished out of a drawer was a simple, black dress shirt. Xukun hesitated. "Do you, uh..." Xukun was astonished by his own eloquence. He just had a way with words. Honestly, get a grip, Xukun thought and slapped himself mentally.

For a moment, Ziyi looked confused, until he seemed to realize what Xukun was hinting at. "Sorry," he said, sounding oddly shy. He turned around in order to give Xukun privacy as he made quick work to take off his wet, sticky shirt and put on Ziyi's. It smelled like detergent, but some part of Xukun's brain wanted to believe that it smelled like Ziyi.

"I'm done," Xukun said after buttoning the shirt up. Ziyi turned around, gave his student a once over and stepped closer as he noticed that the collar was all wrinkled. "The collar. It's crooked. May I?" Xukun nodded dumbly and let the older man straighten out the wrinkles to his best ability. He tried really hard not to pay too much attention to the way Ziyi's fingers brushed his neck, that he was standing incredibly close to the man or that the smell of his perfume made him dizzy.

"Now you're all done," he said. He was going to take a step back, but Xukun grabbed his forearm which was still mid-air, not really pulling Ziyi closer into his personal space, but also not letting him step out of it completely, just keeping him there. The other man didn't object, but maybe that was due to the shock from the sudden action. Xukun blinked. What was he doing, and most importantly, why?

He looked into Ziyi's eyes, searching, but he just found the same searching eyes looking back at him, a mirror of his own confusion on the other man's face. He bit his lip unsurely and was going to apologize, starting, "I'm-," but he was cut off by Ziyi softly saying, "Don't."

Ziyi put his hand on Xukun's shoulder and Xukun loosened his hold on Ziyi's forearm, instead holding on to his biceps. They had gotten closer, he noticed, tips of their shoes touching. They were still looking into each other's eyes, but this time both of them seemed to be more sure what they wanted, orbs not searching but instead craving.

Xukun could feel Ziyi's breath, could feel the warmth of the ghost of a kiss on his lips, that's how close they were. Ziyi's eyes were hooded and Xukun's grip on the other man's arm tightened involuntarily. He knew they were about to kiss, so he didn't know why his dumb ass broke the tension by saying, "I should go."

Maybe some part of his mind was still working correctly, after all. It would be better if he left now. Ziyi blinked confusedly, before he said, "Yeah. Yeah, you probably should."

Xukun cleared his throat as they stepped away from each other, putting some distance between them, and said, "Thanks for the shirt. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas," Ziyi repeated, an echo, as Xukun was hurriedly leaving the room. It was very clear that he wanted Ziyi, even though he wasn't supposed to want him, and from the other man's response it had become clear that he was wanted back. Xukun wasn't sure what to make of this new piece of information, so he decided to ignore that encounter for now. 

The thing with problems is, that no matter how successful you are at ignoring them, they wouldn't just disappear. Xukun knew that, but that didn't mean that he couldn't try.

*

Christmas break came with a lot of things. For Xukun, it meant going home to see his family, telling each other anecdotes, exchanging gifts and basically going into a food coma.

After the family reunion came a party with his flatmate and his boyfriend, just a small celebration this time around. They got drunk off Amaretto, because Zhangjing claimed that was the only alcohol that got his creative juices flowing. Yanjun had said that that’s not the juices it got flowing, but Xukun didn’t want to think about the meaning of that too much, so he just happily downed another glass. He was lucky he slept like a rock after drinking.

Another thing that came with their Christmas break was another one of Zhangjing's exhibitions. This time it was a rather small event, but incredibly important to the artist either way. So obviously, Xukun attended the opening party, glad that there was no strict dress code he had to stick to, just wearing a pair of well-loved jeans and a warm white sweater. 

He was currently standing in front of that one specific painting of Yanjun, trying to look like he was interested in the art and hadn’t basically seen all the pictures before. “That's beautiful," someone said behind him. Xukun didn't even have to turn around to recognize the voice, though he did wonder why Ziyi kept showing up in these places. He didn't bother asking, it's not like it was that important to begin with. Maybe he just had a general interest in art, or in Zhangjing's art, or maybe he knew someone in here. And maybe, Xukun thought, he should give the man a reply instead of just standing there.

“Oddly so," Xukun replied with a lopsided smile as he looked over his shoulder to face the older man as he spoke. He noticed Ziyi lift an eyebrow out of the corner of his eye, but fortunately he wasn’t asked to elaborate. “It reminds me of you," he muttered after a small break. 

Ziyi sighed and moved to stand next to Xukun, eyes still on the painting. “Do you think about that a lot?"

“I get reminded every time I see you, if that’s what you mean," Xukun replied honestly. He didn’t see the point in lying, in here they were just two people having a conversation inspired by one of the pieces of art exhibited. 

Ziyi hesitated, before he admitted, "Me too."

Well, that had come as a surprise.

"We could pretend, you know. Here we don't have to be professor Wang and his student Xukun. We could pretend that we're just Ziyi and just Xukun." Where that came from, Xukun actually had no idea, and he also didn’t know whether to slap himself for saying this to his fucking university professor, sounding ridiculously desperate, or whether he should pat himself on the shoulder as a sign of praise, for having the guts to say that. Either way, he kind of panicked and added, "Like Dorian Gray."

What was he thinking? He hadn't even made up his mind about what he wanted from Ziyi yet. 

That was a lie, he had actually wanted to leave things as they were, not getting himself or the other man into trouble. Damn his mouth for always saying things it wasn't supposed to.

When Ziyi started laughing, he took it as a good sign. At least he wasn't completely weirded out by Xukun's sudden advances. "Do you also plan on killing someone and then pretend that never happened?"

Apart from his conscience? He wondered.

Blushing, Xukun said, "No, I just mean that the act we put on in public doesn't necessarily have to reflect what goes on in private."

"And what if that’s what kills us in the end?" Ziyi looked at him with curious eyes, genuinely intrigued by what Xukun had to say. Maybe he also wanted, wanted Xukun, an affair with a student, a dirty little secret. Maybe, when he was standing in front of the class, teaching, he thought about how good it had been whenever his eyes fell on Xukun. Perhaps, Xukun wasn't the only one feeling this ridiculous physical attraction; perhaps, he wasn't the only one tired of fighting against it.

The point of no return has already been crossed, so he said, "It's not like we'd sell our souls in exchange for eternal youth, do shady shit or become drug addicts, which, for some reason leads to our portraits rotting away in a secluded room. We'd just be two handsome men having some fun with each other."

Ziyi thought about it for a moment. Xukun couldn't believe himself for suggesting this, let alone that his professor was actually considering his idea. After some time, just as Xukun was starting to feel antsy, the man replied, "Well, okay then, just Xukun. Would a cute guy like you accompany me while we look at the exhibition?"

"Anything you want, just Ziyi," Xukun said, smile adorning his face. "Come on, let's look at some other paintings," he suggested enthusiastically. 

So they made their way through the gallery, looking at countless pictures which, for the most part, starred a very revealed Yanjun. Some of Zhangjing's other paintings were different, though. He had done some impressive depictions of landscapes and architecture, the studies so clear and detailed that they resembled photographs. Xukun knew for a fact that his friend just threw those in to further show off his skills and to give the audience some variation. 

They were in the middle of taking in a painting of a vase filled with various flowers, catching the light and every shadow perfectly, when Ziyi suddenly said, "I wish I could kiss you. Push you against a wall and have my way with you."

Xukun thought maybe he hadn't heard right. The other man's admission had come out of the blue, caught him off guard. "I could," he replied, thoughtfully licking his bottom lip, a bad habit really, considering it only made his lips dry. "Kiss you, I mean."

Regretfully, Ziyi shook his head no. Not here went unsaid. Xukun felt the strange urge to get out of here, pull the older man along with him, into a dark alley perhaps. Unfortunately, it was winter, which meant it was too cold for that. The bathroom could work, but the way stalls in men's toilets typically smelled wasn't exactly an aphrodisiac.

So they continued looking at the exhibited pieces, not speaking much, but with an unspoken promise hanging in the air. They both kept their words locked away, trapped inside for neither of them knew whether they could keep themselves under control if they allowed themselves to be more open than needed. 

Sometimes, their arms touched briefly, fingers brushing against each other. It made Xukun feel hot all over, which, in turn surprised him. He felt the strong need to reach out, grab Ziyi. The things he could do with his hands; he would touch him all over, softly, roughly, kneading flesh, leaving imprints of finger nails. He could bury his hands in Ziyi's long strands of hair, cup his face as he kissed him breathless. His hands would explore darker regions; open him up with one hand, wrap the second one around him.

Ziyi must have sensed that Xukun's thoughts weren't with the art anymore, or he wasn't the master over his own thoughts anymore either, because he leaned in and said, "I'm gonna call a taxi," hot breath brushing Xukun's neck like a summer breeze. 

The outside cold didn't bother them as their mouths were glued to each other, hot and demanding like all-consuming flames wrapped around wood. 

"Ziyi," Xukun breathed as the older man was busy kissing Xukun's neck sloppily. The other man didn't show any reaction other than a grunt. "Taxi's here." That made him look up, slightly out of it. Xukun took his hand and guided him towards the car, sliding into the back seat. 

The twenty minute drive to Ziyi's place was torture, lust and want hanging so thickly in the air that Xukun thought even the driver must notice it. At least it was dark, which meant Xukun could subtly place a hand on Ziyi's thigh, just letting it rest there first before massaging it and eventually starting a journey to a different area, a mountain of need. Xukun placed his hand on it, rubbing and applying pressure, listening to Ziyi's sharp intake of air. 

When they arrived at Ziyi's place, everything was greed. Mouths exploring each other as if they were starved and had the finest meals in front of each other, hands tearing on clothes like teeth pulling meat from a bone. 

Ziyi was on his back, Xukun on top, alternating between grinding against the taller man like a horny teenager, which didn't bother either of them, and touching each other after spitting into their palms to make it easier, more pleasant. Cradling Xukun's head to his neck, letting him pant against it, Ziyi left chaste kisses on Xukun's neck before biting down on his shoulder, sucking a mark into the skin. 

That's when it really hit him. This, this was his professor who was getting him off, this was morally very questionable. Xukun was tasting the forbidden fruit and the danger of it made him feel more alive than anything else. The grip Ziyi had on his dick tightened momentarily and that's all it took to send Xukun over the edge, a single desperate moan coming out muffled against Ziyi's neck. The forbidden fruit left the taste of salvation behind. 

Once Xukun had regained some sort of brain capacity again, he slid down and took Ziyi's cock in his mouth, sucking sloppily, a rapid up and down, saliva spilling out of the corners of his mouth. Ziyi's fingers were tangled in Xukun's hair, grip almost painfully tight, but he ignored the sting on his scalp just like the fact that his own sperm was still on Ziyi's hands. When Ziyi came the most beautiful wrecked sounds left his mouth. Xukun swallowed dutifully and kept his mouth on the other man until he could feel him going soft again.

Afterwards, he plopped down next to Ziyi, cupped his cheek and pulled him into a languid, dirty kiss. Ziyi could taste himself on Xukun's tongue, heavy and sensual. 

For a while, they were just lying there, tired, Xukun's head on Ziyi's chest, resting while listening to the other man's steady, reassuring heartbeat. It almost made him fall asleep, but then Ziyi murmured, "We should take a shower."

Xukun knew he'd fall asleep if they waited any longer to get cleaned up, so he forced his eyes to open again and followed Ziyi into his bathroom. The cold water immediately made him feel awake again, at least momentarily. He must have looked funny because Ziyi started giggling. "Don't worry, it'll turn warm immediately."

"Thank the shower Gods for that," Xukun said. There was the glint of a laugh in Ziyi's eyes as the water turned nice and warm, making it feel as if they were standing under a cloud of tropical rain, air hot and steamy.

After getting out of the shower, Xukun wasn't sure what to do. Last time he had slept at Ziyi's place, but now that he knew what he knew he wasn't sure whether that would be acceptable. He cleared his throat as he toweled his hair dry, "Should I leave?"

Ziyi looked at him, surprised. "Why would you leave? It's late and I won't kick you out."

"It's just. I don't know. Wouldn't that be too personal?"

"You mean more personal than having sex?" Ziyi asked with a raised eyebrow.

Xukun had to admit, the older man did have a point. "You're right. Sorry, this is just. Confusing."

At that, Ziyi gave him a reassuring smile. "You know, for me this is also confusing. It's not like I've ever done this before."

Trying to loosen the mood, Xukun said, "Oh, really? You do look like a playboy, though." 

Ziyi rolled his eyes. "I think I changed my mind, you know where the door is." 

That made Xukun laugh. "Sorry, sorry. I'll behave." He crawled into bed next to Ziyi and basically disappeared under the blanket. 

*

This. This was how Xukun wanted to spend all of his mornings. They had been eating breakfast when Ziyi had asked, "Xukun?" Honestly, he had expected Ziyi to say something like, Xukun, could you pass me the milk, but that hadn't been the case. "Do you want to fuck me before you go?" 

Now, Ziyi was riding him like that was his job, like that's the only thing he wanted to do for the rest of his life. Xukun was impressed by his stamina, if that had been him, he would have needed a break a while ago. Maybe Ziyi was a horse enthusiast. 

Being inside of Ziyi was like staying at home on a rainy day, all wrapped up in heat, safe from the outside world. It felt good. Xukun never wanted to leave this warm place, wanted to live inside of these walls. 

Ziyi had asked him whether he was clean, so they had ended up doing it raw. Xukun hadn't been prepared for this torture of the senses and he knew he'd come entirely too fast if Ziyi didn't slow down, so he dug his fingers into Ziyi's toned thighs and gasped, "Slower."

The older man stopped bouncing. Instead, he started grinding, massaging Xukun's dick in the best ways. Smirking, he asked, "Good?"

Xukun licked his lips. Ziyi was a sight for sore eyes, skin glowy from breaking a sweat, cheeks flushed from both exertion and lust, hair falling into his face freely. Xukun took in his upper body, all muscles and flawless skin, and then his dick, standing at full attention, moving with Ziyi whenever he moved. He looked obscenely hot. "You know it," Xukun replied, wrapping a hand around Ziyi's erection, but not moving it. He knew he was teasing, but Ziyi was entirely too cheeky and Xukun was not having it. 

Ziyi moaned, pushing himself forward to get the friction of Xukun's hand and then back again to feel as much of his cock as possible. Back and forth, continuously, until he was shaking from how good it felt and the exhaustion of doing all the work. 

Obviously, Xukun noticed and decided to have some mercy, getting Ziyi off instead of teasing him further. "Come for me, baby. Let go." His release came fast, painting Xukun's belly and hand the purest of colors, clean and fresh like snow falling from the sky.

He went lax, draping himself over Xukun, panting into his ear, "Come in me." The words went straight to his dick, so he wrapped his arms around Ziyi's middle, holding him to his chest as he started thrusting up into his tempting opening. Ziyi gasped, was writhing on top of Xukun, overstimulated, but he didn't complain, waited patiently until he got what he wanted. What both of them wanted. 

When Xukun came, he threw his head back into the pillow, perfect picture of bliss. Ziyi planted a lazy kiss on his lips, licking his way inside like licking melting ice cream, wanting to get more of it, all of it, as much at once as possible. It was an all-consuming kiss that took Xukun's breath away.

Ziyi got up, making Xukun slip out of his new favourite place to stay, dripping sticky liquid like sweet honey. Both of them grumbled disappointedly at the loss of contact. 

"So, I've been wondering," Xukun said, catching his breath. "Why do we keep running into each other at art exhibitions?"

"Well, I'm a huge fan of that artist's work. He seems to put a lot of himself into his art. Also, I'm generally pretty interested in visual arts, so I enjoy going to all kinds of exhibitions. What about you?"

Xukun smiled. "I guess you could say I'm also a fan of You Zhangjing's art."

*

Back at home, Xukun took a long, hot shower which was very much needed after being outside in the cold. Afterwards, he went to his room to read, buried under blankets of course, but soon his stomach started grumbling, so he made his way to the kitchen.

He was surprised to see Zhangjing standing in front of the stove, cooking. "What are you making?"

Zhangjing whipped his head around, startled. "Jesus, don't go sneaking up on people like that. I'm making spaghetti! They'll be done soon, you can put out the plates. Have a good night?"

"Hm... I did." 

"And I'm guessing it has something to do with the guy you left with yesterday?"

"Oh, wow, you saw him?"

Zhangjing tasted the sauce he had made and hummed, obviously satisfied with the result. "Shouldn't I have? You didn't seem to be hiding the fact that you were flirting. By the way, who was that?"

"That," Xukun said, "Was my literature professor."

Zhangjing almost dropped the pot of noodles. "Ziyi?"

Xukun just looked at him, not saying anything in return. His best friend sat down opposite him and continued, "Do you know what you're doing?"

Sighing, Xukun said, "You know, I really tried to ignore this wild attraction for him, but apparently I can't. What can I say? I'm weak. And I'm certainly not the only weak one."

Putting a mountain of noodles on his plate, Zhangjing asked, "But don't you think... I don't know. That you'll develop feelings for him?"

Xukun almost choked on his spaghetti. "What?"

"Well, you two are fucking. That's pretty intimate and personal, it would only be natural if you two got closer."

"Don't worry about this. It's just physical. After my last relationship... You know. Even if I had feelings for someone I don't think I'd act on them. I'm not ready."

Zhangjing's gaze softened. "Sorry. I'm just trying to look out for you."

"I know. Thanks." After a pause, he added, "So, how did it go yesterday?"

"It was so busy and exciting!"

Huh. That was a very court reply, in Xukun's opinion. "Zhangjing." The other looked up. "What's on your mind?"

"Do you know how long Yanjun and me have been together? Five years. That's a long time to love someone, right?"

"Why do you sound so cryptic? Please tell me that nothing bad happened?"

Taking a deep breath, Zhangjing said, "No, nothing bad happened. Xukun. We're gonna get married! I'm so excited and nervous at the same time, but Xukun, I'm so happy. I still can't believe it." He was smiling so hard Xukun thought his face was going to split in half. 

"Oh! Oh my God, that's amazing! Congratulations!" Xukun got up from where he was seated and went to the other side of the table in order to pull his best friend into a bone-crushing hug. "I'm so happy for you and Yanjun, you two are perfect together, but you already know that, oh my God, this is so cool!"

Now Zhangjing was laughing. "Thanks! Would you do me the honor and be my best man?" Honestly, Xukun was hugging him so tightly, Zhangjing thought he was going to die or have at least one rib broken. 

"Of course I'll be your best man! I'll help you with the preparations as well. Jesus, you really did sound so cryptic, I thought you guys broke up. Which, honestly, would kind of destroy my belief in true love. You two were practically made for each other."

Smiling, Zhangjing said, "Yeah. Kunkun, I love him so much. It's the best feeling in the world. One day you'll find someone like that and it will be great. But for now... Let's finish our food before it gets cold, yeah?"

*

After the winter break was over, Xukun returned to his classes with new energy. Well, not really, but he did feel slightly more motivated and well-rested. Breaks like this really were a saving grace for every student's sanity. 

When he made his way into the literature class, he could already hear excited chatter and laughter from afar. A smile tugged on Xukun's lips. He wondered what his classmates were up to. 

He honestly wasn't surprised to see Zhengting with an arm around the girl he had been crushing on, laughing at something she had said. 

"Yo, Xukun, come over!" 

"Hey, guys. What's up?"

Zhengting rolled his eyes and said, "Jieqiong wants to know whether Professor Wang is single." Xukun died internally, heart skipping a beat, but fortunately his reaction went unnoticed. So he asked, "Why do you want to know that?"

Jieqiong said, "Well, he's thirty-five and super handsome. What, don't look at me like that! My friends were speculating, so I wanna know your opinion. You're guys, maybe you have different perspectives."

"Well," Zhengting said, "Considering that he's only a substitute professor and usually teaches overseas I don't think he has anyone. Not here, at least. What do you think?" His gaze was directed at Xukun. 

Ugh, honestly, Xukun was absolutely not into gossip. He shrugged. "I've never thought about that. I don't usually care about my professors' private lives." Lie. What a lie. He bit his lip. He would, in fact, mind if Ziyi had someone, because he'd never want to be the other person in a relationship, the one who gets between two people. 

At that moment, Ziyi entered the classroom, conversations dying out, everybody getting ready to focus. Xukun couldn't help but notice that the man had changed. Or maybe he was just imagining that, dirty mind playing tricks on him. It wouldn't even surprise him at this point. Xukun figured he looked better, even better than before, that is. Fuller, stronger, like he had been working out more, eating more. Yes, he thought when Ziyi turned around to write something down on the blackboard, his ass definitely looked firmer, thicker. 

Concentrating sure would be easier if his professor wasn't this hot. When would these thoughts stop? Xukun was suffering. He forced himself to avert his gaze and take notes instead. 

*

After the class was over and everyone had left, Xukun went to Ziyi's office, knocking and simultaneously hoping he wouldn't disturb the other man. Or that it would be weird. Well, he told himself, it's only weird if you make it weird. Nobody would suspect anything, their secret was just between them. Obviously, Zhangjing and Yanjung knew, maybe Ziyi had told his friends. Probably not. What would living with such a secret be like?

Their relationship was morally questionable, Xukun realized that. Maybe it was the danger that attracted him so much more, drawing him in like a snake, whispering to him about all the nice things he could have if he just reached out. It was simple, really. All Xukun had to do was take a bite.

"Come in."

Xukun took a breath, a futile try to calm the storm in his mind. 

"Hi."

He was met with a surprised look. There was something else, too. Recognization maybe. Like Ziyi recognized himself in Xukun's eyes, mirror of his own feelings, staring into a reflection of hunger for forbidden fruits. He was sure Ziyi could see it too, the Fall, if he looked hard enough.

"I have something that belongs to you," Xukun continued, quickly averting his gaze. 

Ziyi got up from his chair. "Really?" he asked, feigning innocence, coming closer to Xukun, moving like a predator. Being bait wasn't so bad after all, Xukun thought. Ziyi walked around him, though. Circling the bait, perhaps? Teasing? No, he realized, Ziyi was just locking the door, caging both of them in. 

Yes, the deep breath really hadn't done much. That had just helped momentarily, the calm before the storm. His thoughts were spreading in his mind, filling his head with pictures like a flood, pictures of Ziyi under him, on top of him, sweaty, writhing. God. 

Ziyi came to him, putting a hand on the back of Xukun's neck. Honestly, Xukun felt dizzy. This wasn't what he had come here for, but he wouldn't complain. He didn't wait for Ziyi to close the distance between them, went straight for Ziyi's lips and licked his way inside, letting his tongue slide against the older man's, hot and sticky, tracing the palate, most likely inducing a ticklish feeling, rolling his tongue against Ziyi's alveolar ridge before withdrawing in order to catch his breath.

Xukun felt his ass getting squeezed. He gasped, teeth on his neck, kisses soft like cotton yet hot like fire tracing his pulse. "Is this what belongs to me, Xukun?" Ziyi asked as he was on his knees, hands still cupping Xukun's ass, voice coming out muffled since his face was buried elsewhere.

"Ziyi," Xukun gritted, "Are you sure you want to do this? Here?"

Ignoring the question completely, Ziyi said, "Please, let me suck you off. It'll be good." Well, he didn't just say that. He sounded like he was begging. He was begging to have Xukun's cock in his mouth. A rush of excitement went through his body, adrenaline making him shiver with anticipation.

"Okay," he said, because what else should he say? His number of brain cells decreased rapidly whenever he was around his professor. 

Ziyi was tearing at Xukun's belt, excited, muttering, "You looked so hot in class. I'm actually glad you came by." 

Once Ziyi had undone Xukun's pants and pushed them to the ground, letting them pool around the student's feet, he immediately got to it, not wasting a second before taking Xukun's already hardening dick in his mouth, movements slow and deliberate. Xukun couldn't take his eyes off Ziyi as the man took him further into his mouth, relaxing his throat to get as much as possible inside. He looked like he truly enjoyed giving, like this - just tasting Xukun - was more than enough. 

Obviously, that wasn't really enough. Soon, Ziyi started palming himself through his slacks in order to find some kind of relief. "Ziyi. Touch yourself for me." Xukun heard the man moan, could feel the fucking vibrations of it, could hear the rustling of clothes as Ziyi's hand freed his erection from its confines. He started stroking himself, no teasing, just getting to it, getting off on sucking Xukun's dick. 

The heat of Ziyi's mouth seemed to get unbearable, too hot, hell, and Xukun laced his fingers into his hair, carelessly messing the neat styling up, nails digging into the scalp warningly. That didn't seem to deter Ziyi in the slightest. If anything, it made him more passionate. 

When Xukun came, he bit his lip, hard, trying not to make too much noise considering they were at Ziyi's - professor Wang's - office at university. Ziyi swallowed instantly and licked Xukun clean like that's the best thing he's ever tasted, all while still fisting his own cock. Xukun's grip on the kneeling man's hair had gone soft and he said, "You did so well, baby. Come, you deserve it." 

And that's really all it took for Ziyi to let go, head dropping to Xukun's thigh, leaning against it heavily, lax. Xukun stoked the man's damp hair before helping him up again, taking his hand. It would have been a cute gesture if he hadn't licked at Ziyi's bodily fluids until his hand was clean. Xukun looked up as he was doing that, observing the older man's reaction. He thought that Ziyi looked like he could get it up again, right then. 

"Actually," Xukun said, licking his lips and letting go of Ziyi's hand, pulling up his pants again, "That wasn't what I came here for." 

Ziyi raised an eyebrow questioningly, curiously watching Xukun who was fishing something out of his bag. It was Ziyi's shirt. "See, I really do have something that belongs to you. That wasn't just an excuse," Xukun said with a wink.

He thought he could see a flush on Ziyi's cheeks, color of a shy summer rose, but he wasn't sure. Maybe it was the lights.

"Thanks," Ziyi said, clearing his throat because his voice came out sounding a little rough. "I actually already forgot that I borrowed you my shirt."

"Well, maybe I should have just kept it, then," Xukun replied. "It's a nice shirt, after all."

Laughing, Ziyi said, "It's nice that you brought it back. Did you get the stains out of your clothes?"

Xukun made a face. "Yeah, don't worry about that. They were a bitch to remove, though."

Ziyi snorted. "If you ever want to fuck up your clothes again, or get rid of them, you know where to find me."

Smiling, Xukun closed the distance between them, kissing Ziyi goodbye.

*

When Xukun got home, he went straight to his room. He had lots of studying to do considering that he had to take his final exams soon. In the living room, he saw Zhangjing and Yanjun cuddled up on the couch, napping. They looked so peaceful and sweet together. 

Xukun knew that they'd probably be up to some weird shit if they were awake, but no matter what, everyone could see that they were perfect for each other, as perfect as two people could be for one another, and Xukun was so, so happy for them. 

He sighed. Hopefully Zhangjing was right and he'd also find someone who was perfect for him one day. 

Shaking his head at himself, he thought that worrying about something like this, at his age, didn't make any sense. He had plenty of time to fall in love with plenty of people, until he met someone to spend the rest of his life with. 

Knowing this was reassuring, but at the same time he still wanted to fill the emptiness in his heart, the hole that had been left behind. He wanted to hold someone close at night, wanted to cuddle someone his heart beats faster for until they fell asleep together, feeling safe and loved. 

However, even though his heart craved romance, Xukun also knew that he wasn't ready for that, yet. Time heals wounds, they said, and it was true, he could feel himself healing every day, but he hadn't been able to put all the pieces back into the right place yet. Things like these need time and he had enough of that.

His time would come, he was sure of it.

*

The semester was over.

A knock on a familiar door, three sharp sounds in quick succession. The door opened, an invitation to come in was directed at the guest. Lips found another pair in a hurry, passion ignited a fire in two people who were saying goodbye in the only way they knew, the way they've always used to communicate. 

The door was slammed shut, clothes were shed like a snake shed its skin once it got too tight. Just one last time, that's all they needed, everything they wanted from each other was this. One last taste.

**Author's Note:**

> You made it this far, congrats! If you liked it don't forget to hit kudos or, even better, leave a comment because I'd love to know what you think and receive some sort of feedback :)


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